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Oct 20 2010 - Ellis Paul October 2010 Newsletter

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The leaves are golden here in Virginia, pumpkins are on the stoops, and Don Conoscenti is brewing coffee and reading the paper in my kitchen. I love the fall. Don and I are attempting to do some recording this afternoon, but we are way over-tired from shows and may just watch a movie instead. I had a tremendous run through Oklahoma and Texas, playing the circuit of venues in those states in the height of football season and baseball is always a challenge, but the seats were full at our shows and the Rangers beat up on the Yankees, and any day the Yankees lose is a day the Red Sox win and a good day for yours truly. (My apologies to you Yankee diehards).

This weekend I am performing my 20th anniversary tour at Eddies Attic. Eddie's has always been a second home to me, at times feeling more like my hometown crowd than anywhere on the planet. I've been playing there since 1992 when Kristian Bush (Sugarland) pulled my cassette album out of a box and convinced Eddie Owen to hire me. Since then I've shared the stage with John Mayer, Shawn Mullins, Kristian Bush in various forms, Emily Saliers, Don Conoscenti and the cast goes on and on. Don is sitting in again this weekend as we re-create Say Something and Stories with all the songs in chronological order at the first show, and the late show will be a dash through the rest of the albums all the way to the present. There's a meet and greet in the afternoon as well. Come on out! 20 years on the road is twenty reasons to celebrate!

See you somewhere soon!
Ellis

Along with his night at Eddie’s Attic on Friday, Ellis is playing a special show at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center in Madison, GA this Saturday. Come say hello! (Full details and ticket links can be found in the Tour dates to the right.)

Ring in 2011 at Club Passim!

For over 15 years, Paul has annually played Club Passim in Cambridge, MA on December 30th and December 31st. Tickets for this year's shows go on sale for Members of Club Passim TODAY (Oct. 20) at 12pm. Non-members can purchase tickets beginning at 12pm on Oct. 27. Even with shows at both 7 & 10pm each night, the shows quickly sell out every year, so get your tickets early!

West Mountain Inn Fan Retreat

Nestled in the mountains of Vermont lies the elegant and charming West Mountain Inn, where every few years, a very special Ellis Paul fan retreat is held. Next August, for four days and four nights, you can be a part of a magical weekend where there will be opportunities to meet friends, old and new, enjoy a mountainside made for hiking, participate in a songwriting workshop led by Ellis, feast at a communal BBQ party, AND experience FOUR nights of the music of Ellis Paul…with no song repeated! If you’ve never had a chance to experience the retreat in the past, the camaraderie and atmosphere are unbelievable – the retreat is only open to those who stay at the inn, and is the largest reason so many people prepay so far in advance. The fan retreat takes place August 22-25, 2011, so mark your calendars! Currently, NINE rooms are still available, but they’re going quickly so don’t hesitate too long to make your reservation. Visit this link for information... Don’t miss the chance of a lifetime!

He uses the words “Heisman trophy”

Ellis was recently interviewed by Bill Kramer for Virginia-based paper The New Leader for a feature that will run next week in support of his show at the Mockingbird. The full interview will be posted here next week (so check back soon!), but here’s a snippet to give you a sneak peak!

Bill: “Nora Guthrie has heaped some remarkable praise on you, which must be very gratifying considering the huge influence Woody Guthrie has had on your career. How did you feel when you heard she'd said ‘Ellis is one of our best human compasses’?”

EP: “Felt like I should point north or something. In a dramatic pose like the Heisman trophy guy. Nobody knows the job description of folk musicians more clearly than Nora, so it was an amazing compliment.”

More Press!

The Day After Everything Changed will be the Featured Favorite on the Performing Songwriter website Oct. 21-27, 2010! For those seven days, visitors to the website can listen to the songs on the Be Heard Jukebox. This is a relatively new feature on the website, with Jill Sobule as the featured artist this week. Ellis will be the 5th featured artist.

From the Archive

We send you back into your work week with a track from 19(!) years ago, thanks to Fan Ambassador Karen Z…

[A note from Karen:]

After Am I Home and Urban Folksongs were released on cassette in 1989, but before Say Something was released on CD, Ellis Paul went into the studio with Jon Svetkey and recorded ten songs for End Construction Productions. The result was Tree Full of Crows released on cassette in 1991. Today's surprise gem from the archive is "Let it Rain", one of the songs from that recording session, written by Ellis Paul with vocals by both Ellis and Jon Svetkey. When I first heard this song some years ago, Ellis told me the song was about his grandfather who was a potato farmer in Maine.

Thanks to Stuart Ferguson for the cassette copy of Tree Full of Crows and to Fred Ellert for transferring the cassette to CD! You can listen to the song at this link for the next two weeks. Enjoy!